Fresh Lumpia: the lovechild of a summer roll and a crepe.
Fresh Lumpia: the lovechild of a summer roll and a crepe.

This one is for you, Arms Bumanlag!

Our Adriano Ciotoli was fortunate enough to recently spend some time in the kitchen with Leny Inting, the owner and chef at Tropical Hut Philippine Cuisine. In advance of being showcased in WindsorEats’ live cooking segment on CTV Windsor, Leny guided Adriano step by step through the process of making a Philippine classic, Lumpia.

To put it into the most simplest terms, Lumpia is the lovechild of a fresh summer roll and a crepe. While in roll form, a cornstarch based wrap is used. Leny also mentions that while pork and shrimp are the traditional ingredients, she encourages experimenting with any ingredients such as creating chicken or veggie lumpia.

While it may seem like there are a lot of ingredients, the recipe itself is simple enough for anyone to make at home. So here, give it a try:

 

Fresh Lumpia

  • 2 tbs cooking oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1/4 k. boiled pork, diced
  • 1/2 c. shrimps. chopped
  • 1/2 c. cooked chick peas
  • 1 c. green beans, diagonally strips
  • 2 c. cabbage, shredded
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 24 pcs lettuce
  • 1 c. carrots, julienne

Procedure:

1. Brown garlic in hot cooking oil, add onions, cook slowly until soft.

Browning some onions and garlic
Browning some onions and garlic

2. Add the pork, shrimps and chick peas.

Add shrimp and pork
Add shrimp and pork

3. Combine carrots, green beans and cabbage.

Carrots and beans and cabbage, oh my
Carrots and beans and cabbage, oh my

4. Continue cooking until done. Drain and season. Cool. Set broth aside for brown sauce.

Look at all the pretty colours!
Look at all the pretty colours!

5. Scoop a couple spoonfuls onto a fresh wrapper.

Fresh Lumpia - 237
Spoonful of goodness

6. Wrapped mixture in home-made wrapper lined with lettuce leaves.

Wrap it up!
Wrap it up!

7. Serve with brown sauce.

You like-a da sauce?
You like-a da sauce?

 

If you’re wanting to give making the wrapper a crack, Leny recommends using this extremely simple recipe:

Homemade Lumpia Wrapper

  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 c corstarch dispersed in 1 c. water

Procedure:

  1. Beat eggs and blend in dispersed cornstarch.
  2. Brush frying pan with cooking oil and heat.
  3. Spoon about 3 tbs batter then tilt pan to spread evenly on pan.
  4. Lift off wrapper when done.

 

Now, if you can’t fathom not making the entire dish yourself, quickly whip up some of this brown sauce to ladle over-top the finished lumpia. You won’t be disappointed.

Lumpia Sauce or Brown Sauce

  • 1/2 c sugar
  • 1 tbs soy sauce
  • 2 c broth
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tbs cornstarch dispersed in 1/4 c water
  • 4-6 cloves garlic, minced

Procedure:

  1. Blend first 4 ingredients together.
  2. Bring to boil.
  3. Thicken with cornstarch.
  4. Sprinkle with minced garlic and serve.